Deltora Quest 4 Swords of Deltora
by Guardian of Atlantis
Summary: This time raids have been coming from the North since the Shadow Lord is using magic more powerful to that of the belt.The heroes must find 7 swords of the Deltoran knights & the mysterious dragon gems.Chp 3 now up Paused
1. Happy Birthday Princess Anna

Deltora Quest 4 (Deltoran knights)

Disclaimer: I don't own the books blah blah blah

Author's note: Good news Deltora quest is going to become a anime series.Oh & a slight spoiler for the Tales of Deltora is in the story.

Lief strolled in the halls of the palace walking once again to the meeting room to discuss the recurring events of the raids from the shadowlands.He sighed wondering what kind of powerful magic he had on his side now. That wasn't important because now they had to find some kind of way to stop them from breaking the barrier. "Father" he turned around to see an ebony-haired teen with a athletic body & blue eyes. "Yes Anna" he said now directly facing her daughter. "Father did you remember it was my birthday? What did you get me?" He found himself speechless as he had forgotten that it was her daughter-Princess Anna's 16th birthday. I…I…I...I'm going to leave that for a surprise. She walked away with a glimmer of curiosity at why he shuddered.

He sighed as he began walking again to the great hall. "Lief you are late. Sit down we have matters to discuss" said a bearded man. Barda stood up & said "Now you all know by now that the Shadow lord has begun a series of raids that seem to be becoming more frequent over the last few days"

Lief listen uninterested as he recently read the Tales of Deltora & realized that the Shadow Lord was indeed the sorcerer who killed the 4 sisters & used this experience to create the plan of the Grey mass & his versions of the beautiful sisters. He now knew that this man had come from another land & how the Ak-Baba came to serve him.

"My king or anyone else here present representing your tribes do you have any idea of how to stop these constant plunder of our lands?" They began muttering among themselves like a stirred group of pigeons. "I am Gers of the Jalis"said as he rose "the armies of the lands as well as the Jalis are weakening; the dark lord's plan is obvious. He is sending his villainous creatures to constantly weaken us & our forces until he gains the power necessary to launch a powerful & massive army onto us to defeat our already tired troops..." "Then he shall take over Deltora,the Shadow Lord or the sorcerer is using a magic more powerful than the 7 gifts of the land that we have yet found a way to defeat" Jarred finished.

During Jarred's many journeys to the other lands he had encountered many discoveries about the islands beyond Deltora. He discovered a territory of a more civilized & peaceful Ak-Baba (who gladly decided to help him defend his land), strange creatures, exotic fruits & noble warriors. "Jarred the people who migrated & the Ak-Baba whom traveled to assist us need more assistance"Gla-thon breathed. "Is there possibly a way to stop these raids?" Lief said. "Do you expect us Lief to go to the Shadow lands & ask the Shadow Lord nicely to stop attacking us?" he answered sarcastically.

Lief stepped up as he looked into the faces of the despairing & fearful figures. "Perhaps there is a way to defeat the Shadow Lord but we may need to find the answer in the knowledge of books". "But Lief" Barda began "Marilen, Ranesh & Joseph have checked the books on every shelf & every corner,& there is nothing useful for our current situation". "I believe we are tired & weary, my friends from our journey to this destination. Let us rest & we'll continue this conversation after good food, rest 7 refreshments" said Jarred in a dolorous tone. As one the other representative of the tribes-Zeean, Peel, Tira, Steven (Nevets), Tom, Manus, Lindal, Gla-Thon, Bede & Hellena rose as one & left.

Barda & Lief went down to meet Jasmine after a rather bitter meeting. "Lief have you decided what to give Anna yet?" Barda said but still worried about what lies ahead. "I'm making it soon it's going to be a surprise" he replied forcing a slight smile. "Lief" Jasmine bellowed "Anna is getting impatient about your gift". "Jasmine I haven't forgotten about our daughter, that's why I'm heading to the Forge right now". Lief & Jasmine climbed onto Honey still being groomed by Zerry & they rode on the steed together to the Forge with Barda watching in the distance.

Zerry stilled practice & bit of magic to impress the onlookers & liven up the day in dark times. Also the Masked Ones had regrouped & reformed to perform once again. Zerry never returned to them & continued his well-loved job of Stable master. The Masked Ones no longer despised the King but embraced him for they now knew that their leader was like Marilen: Lief's distant cousin.

Bede did become leader of the Masked Ones who now continued the habits of wearing masks to honour his mother & Ballum. They now visited the areas where people had become homeless or suffered another fate to perform to givet them joy in desperate times. Also Bede married Mariette of Shadowgate in a spectacular wedding at the Funnel with jugglers, singers & talented performers. It made the royal court's job much easier that the Masked Ones were using their talents to bring joy to the suffering people.

Lief picked up a few pieces of spare steel & began heating this steel & banged it causing loud sparks to fly with the legendary hammer of the Forge. Jasmine brewed her special rejuvenating tea from the exotic herbs she grew in the gardens of the palace. He sharpened the steel & decorated the hilt with lines as intricate as his skills could comprehend. He embedded the hilt with the jewels of the Dread Gnomes. & melted the two pieces together giving it another few hard smashes & dumped it in the water causing it to hiss. He made two of these swords & worked on it till sunset & finally he was finished & admired his work. Jasmine & Lief raced back to the palace with the gift.

When they arrived the feast held had begun, a flood of people moved into the dining hall. There were succulent meats, crispy salads & tempting deserts. The hall was had 4 gigantic pillars as tall as the hills of the mountains to the North. The walls had brilliant paintings based on the famous Tenna Birdsong tales. The food was on decorative platters on velvet-clothed tables that were as long as a Boolong tree. The feast was held in honour of Princess Anna for her birthday & people from almost every corner who could attend came. From the wise Toran magicians of the west, to the wealthy Dread Gnomes, the fierce warriors of the Jalis & Mere ,the brilliant masked one & the masters of architural design the Ralad, nobles & peasants. Chefs & Cooks from No-Radz came to assist the kitchens of Del for this magnificient celebration. There was a pile of presents that now looked like a towering building.

At the end of the dinner a elegant cake with frills of vanilla was revealed. It had a beautiful flower on top with overlapping chocolate decorating it around slightly tilted. There was a cherry at every where blank. On the top were buttons of cream with small charmed multi-coloured jelly forming intricate patterns. There was finally a neatly written Happy Birthday Anna. After everyone finish eating the cake the entertainment began from many people including the Masked ones & Torans. "Anna here is my present to you" Lief said calmly. She pulled out both hilt to reveal two swords with a magnificent pattern with two rings on each & a lovely jeweled adorn hilt.She also found out that they could connect together to form a sword similar to that of Darth Maul. The leather grip was another feature of this great present.

"Thank you dad" was all she had to say as well as a hug for what she received. The two brothers Endon Jr & Jarred Jr were enjoying the antics of a juggler. Anna was a skilled sword maiden who was yet to be rivaled & she was a master of dagger throwing & killing. Endon Jr was just as deadly his skill with his bow was effective in killing & he could massacre a small army with his arrows. As for Jarred Jr he was a destructive user of the halberd & could dodge & block many attempts & easily defeat an enemy unscratched. As the night was drawing to a close 3 people in green, violet & red beautiful cloaks came bursting in through the door like a raging muddlet.

"Lief" called Marilen exasperated "we have found a way to stop these raids & attacks from the Shadow Lands! Our dilemma will be solved when we find the 7 Swords of the Deltoran Knights"

Author's note: Yes this will be finished I'm just waiting for a few reviews that are all I ask. Also who are the Deltora knights? This will be answered in the next chapter. Remember to review & a slight spoiler-the 7 dragons will be in this fanfic.


	2. Dragons,knights,swords & gems

Deltora Quest 4-Sword of Deltora

Disclaimer: No I don't own Deltora Quest blah blah blah. However I do own other things

Author's note: I published this story when I finished these exams. The idea for the Swords & Knights was in my head for a long time. Although I never made a story on it till now. In other news another story is going to be published around Christmas. No I'm not going to tell you what it is & you can guess. Oh & more spoilers for the book Tales of Deltora. Thanks for the reviews.

As the crowd heard this they began whispering among themselves that they had never heard such foolhardy statements from a librarian. "Deltoran what?" Lief stated flabbergasted. "The Deltoran Knights, you never heard of them because they were forgotten long ago" Marilen responded. "Do you have any proof of their existence" Jarred said his mouth still stuffed with food & face disheveled from the cuisine like a few others. "We do, but it was very scarce. It is as though a great wave sunk a ship full of knowledge about these valiant people" Said Josef suddenly. The guest started muttering after a long silence.

After a while Jasmine spoke to the crowd with a blaring volume that echoed so everyone could hear "I believe the wild celebrations are finished for tonight. The meeting of the royal court will commence again right now" She said as she suddenly stood up. Zeean, Peel, Tira, Steven (Nevets), Tom, Manus, Lindal, Gla-Thon, Bede & Hellena then followed Lief, Jasmine, Barda & Jarred along with the weary Marilen, Ranesh & Josef. While the other guest went in a different direction they headed towards the meeting room.

The room was built by the Ralads to be round with ten attractive white pillars decorated with an encircling dragon on each one. The walls in between the towering pillars were covered lavishly with frescoes depicting the Rise of Adin told from the Deltora Annals in picture. Each one was surrounded by a golden border of great beauty. Lief & the council went through the door which had a elaborate archway. Lief, Jasmine, Barda, Tom, Manus, Gla-Thon, Marilen, Josef, Ranesh, & Jarred walked down the steps (which was renowned for it's wonderful stonework) to the great round table with the floor covered in a large piece of a diamond, emerald, lapis-lazuli, topaz, opal, ruby & amethyst. The floor on which the council's table was is said to be like a giant multi-colored pizza. The other members walked to the many curved tables that were still available & sat down.

"During our day in the library we were able to find a letter while cleaning the books & fixing the catalogue…" Marilen said stopping for a moment. But before she could speak Josef continued "it was written by my adoptive grandfather the late Josef Sr" his eyes now sparkling with tears knowing he would never see him. "May we hear it's message?" Tom asked kindly. Ranesh hold up the dusty & dilapidated letter began opening it & began reading.

_Dear Reader_

_If you are reading this I hope you haven't sided with the Shadow Lord, for it contains the great secret that I've been guarding for the16 dark years of the shadow lord's rule, my days serving King Alton, the years I spent with Ranesh before the tyranny & my final years as Palace Librarian for young King Lief. _

_During my time as librarian for the King Alton I was ordered to burn the Deltora Annals. I was shocked when I heard this message from the chief adviser & this crime against history & knowledge. But I was even more shocked when I spent a few moments briefly reading the contents. I found pages revealing to me the history of the 7 Deltoran Knights, a courageous bloodline created from 7 noble people of the original royal court of the first king Adin. It seems as though someone doesn't want to know about them & I couldn't let history this great be forgotten forever & for good_

_Suddenly as I was observing the page palace guards broked into the library with orders to make sure I burnt the books. With no other choice I was forced to kill the menwith my dagger & mutiliate one of their bodies into many parts for I knew that the Annals were not safe in the palace & that they would keep watch till my job was done & they would have stopped me if I tried to leave with them. I started a great fire with the bones of that man in there, I escaped with the Annals & when I left buried these great soldiers which had sadly became blinded puppets. I ripped the page into three parts, the smallest being the last sentence & I began my life as a wonderer until I found a new purpose writing the Deltora book of monsters. Also I have hidden it in three separate areas of Deltora. I still continue to regret what I did to the Annals & the guards even though it was for the greater good._

_Josef-Palace Librarian during the time of King Lief & written in the year of the 4 sister famine._

"What is this?" Lindal asked now observing the poem underneath the sign-off on the worn out paper.

_The way to find the secret past_

_Is the first place I went but not the last_

_The land of sand, sky & trees_

_It is the place full of buzzing Bees_

_The piece is hidden deep beneath_

_Behind a beast that guards a place with no leaf_

_It seems as though it can see_

_Staring now straight at me._

"It is a clue" Hellena said, "To find the first page of the parchment" Bede finished. "Did you find the first piece? Is that why you came barging into the celebrations? Said Tira who now had a golden blonde straight hair that grew longer than her shoulder & would grow back (in one day) if it was cut bald. This was mainly due to her strange Plains heritage. "Yes we did, the first piece of the parchment is in my pocket" Ranesh said as he tooked the paper out of his pocket "It is written by Tod Bigg-Fellar, explorer of the Plains."

**The 7 Deltoran Knights & the 7 swords of Deltora**

**After the Battle of Deltora (which I participated in) I wrote this in the Annals. During the time when Adin was the King of Deltora, raids had been coming from the silver seas & pillaging was becoming a major problem. **

**The cause of this as I had learned during my visit to Del was human servants of the Shadow Lord blessed by magic & multiplying in great numbers. The old shadow armies had been replaced by pirates, killers, thieves & bandits. Some were descendants of his original companions. Others were villain who had succumbed to his cause. This was the knowledge I gained from a cheerful baker & a common man.**

**As I walked to the street I heard mutterings from the Forge about how to get rid of this pestilence. After the many hours of discussion they had a solution. I walked into the blacksmith's place with his advisers & court already there. As I asked them about their solution but they only replied we will show you it when we're done & immediately went to work. For the next few days I watched Adin work on metal, 7 pieces to be exact 7 I was asked to record this in the book that one day became to be known as the Deltora Annals.**

**Zara said that this book will be a collection of songs, stories & history of Deltora & I had been chosen to write a page on this historic event. When he was finished he revealed to me 7 swords with a hilt that was embroidered with small gems from Dread Mountain & a pattern as complicated as the links of the belt. The Jalis Greel later sharpened the blade & it was blessed by Zara's toran magic. It looked like a dragon flying & breathing fire onto it's enemy. It was also cloth-wrapped for ease at handling **

**Adin thrust the 7 swords into the stone of the forge & then something brilliant happen. Each one shined with blinding light at where they had cause an distinct opening in the rock. Suddenly a protruding stream of light burst out & went in 7 different directions. 4 headed to the north & 2 went towards the west & 1 moved towards the south. Like a swarm of rats fleeing from a gang of cats, curious onlookers followed the lights to the baker Samuel. **

**Then as if driven by some magical force he & the former leaders of the tribes Az-Zure, Greel, Loosely, Fie, Padge & Lenore gripped a sword each & pulled it out of the stone with ease. They placed their sword's tip on the talisman of their tribe & called out 7 names at the same time. Then one dragon from each tribe flew into Del. They were unlike most dragons people saw, these one had a gem on its brow, a twin to those in the belt. The only difference was that it had a bronze dragon decorating it. They placed the gem at the end of the sword & formed the first Deltoran Knights. (456) **

**After creating their own armour, they rode out on their new steed the dragon leaders. Their swords seem to have strengthen the armies they were leading to the north-west where a large army was sighted heading to the land bearing the grey hand of the Shadow Lord. Their forces were comprised of the all the dragons & strong men. The shadow lord also was assisted by shady men beyond Deltora & strange creatures. After as long & bloody battle the armies of Deltora won. The Knights' title was made official & became well respected residents. They were the most prominent presence in court, messengers to the tribes, generals to their tribes army & 2nd in command of the dragons. After the originals went to the spirit world their children became the next knights & a traditional ceremony was created to honour that fateful day.**

**Tod Bigg-Fellar**

"This is a amusing story librarian but what does he mean by 456" Lindal said bemused. "How exactly did you find the first page?" Lief asked. "Simple what Josef meant was the Seaside Bee in the ruby territory. It was in the room he rented behind a picture of Soldeen." Ranesh answered politely. "456 could mean this" Josef said as he tooked out Volume 4 of the Deltora Annals.

He quickly flicked through the contents to find the page he wanted- page 56.

**The Deltoran Dragon Gems**

**When the ancient tribes found the wondrous gems of the belt, the 7 dragon tribes each found another powerful talisman. Each had a powerful magic similar to that of the gems & were use as a symbol of power by the leaders of the clan. The dragons coincided with the human gems like the dragon talismans & their names coincided with what they symbolize. This is what I Hekken have learnt during my journey with the dragons**

**Emerald were fierce supporters of their honour, ruby dragons were the more joyful of their kin, Del dragon were faithful in most causes, Jalis dragons are considered to be the strongest & have scales that were almost impervious to attacks, Mere dragons enjoyed games based on luck, the dragons of the Amethyst were taught to live up to the ideals of truth & the dragons of Hope were always optimistic & saw hope in the darkest of times.**

**For many years the dragons placed this gem into their brow as a symbol of leadership & power over the skies & trust to keep the land safe. Until one faithful day they heard voices from the land of Del calling their names. I have been told by dragons that to know a creature's name is to give power over that individual. They rode out at once & after the convincing of the men they gave up their gems to be placed at the end of these hilts. **

**The dragons told me that the weapons made them stronger & they became the noble steed for the powerful Deltoran knights. The leaders & friends that I knew as Vigor of the diamond, Honra of the emerald, Geluk of the Lapis-Lazuli, Fidelitas of the Topaz, Hopen of the opal, Felicity of the Ruby & Verite of the Amethyst, had now became powerful allies to the wielders of the 7 swords- ****Strengthu**,** Honneur, Zufall, Fides, Speranza, Felicita & Treowth. Together with the power of the sword, knight, Belt & King they protected the land from many evils.**

**Hekken**

"This information is useful, but there are still pieces of the history missing, we must embark on a quest to find these swords, the heirs of the knights 7 the next clue" Jarred said coldly.

Author's note: Review please & this is the second last chapter before the real Quest begins. As for the names of the swords they coincide with the correct order of the belt eg Diamond(strength),Emerald(honour) etc. I got most of the names from 


	3. Secret history revealed

Deltora Quest 4 (Swords of Deltora)

Author's note: The quest is beginning soon. I have been doing some research into a few of the topics as this will require a bit of detail into certain things. I realize that I have yet to describe Endon Jr & Jarred Jr in physical appearance that will be done in this chapter. Also I'll try not to make Anna a Mary Sue type character. Continue reviewing the story. Oh & I love my description of Anna's birthday cake, the imagination of it just made me hungry. More spoilers for Tales of Deltora & who are the heroes for the journey?.

"Is there any other clues leading to the whereabouts of the other parchments?" Jarred inquired impatiently. Unbeknownst to them Endon, Jarred Jr, Anna, Josef & Linta, Thalion &Alarca (Lindal & Barda's children). Jarred was usually quiet & observing & dodging was his method of fighting. Anna was aggressive & would always rush to the opposition first & she sometimes took the swift & silent assassin appoarch. However she was often impatient & that often became her downfall. Endon's fighting style required hand to hand combat & more than often multiple arrows.

Endon had his ear close to the door intensively listening to the conversation. He had short rough blonde hair down to his neck like his twin Jarred & sparkling blue eyes like Jarred Jr. Josef had the same straight black hair of the Torans & white face with rough hands & he had great brown eyes. Linta was tall & auburn-haired with freckles; she was thin but remarkably fast & had blue eyes & had a sleek body. Linta's weapon of choice was a rope dart-a flexible sharp dagger blade connected to a chain & at the end was a metallic ball. She easily mastered the weapon & could wield it to swiftly relinquish, kill, trip or chain trap the enemy.

Thalion was like his father big & supposedly fearless, he was much more of a cavalry warrior than an infantry or auxiliary. He was broad, stern, battle-scared, powerful & had blue eyes & uneven blonde hair & was clean-shaven. He used a long curved sword, a circular broard shield & was a brilliant archer. Alarca was unsurpassed by her entire family in the art of spear-fighting. She also was auburn & had green eyes & a healthy body with muscles.

The 7 people in that group had skill in using their weapons that was like a herd of ak-baba attacking. They would work together like the dragons did on that fateful night devastating evil with their optimal skill. At the same time they would fight with the heart of a true warrior pure of heart. "What are they saying?" asked Anna enthusiastically "Something about 7 swords" Jarred Jr replied.

"The clue is 'the path to the paper of knowledge is timidly behind my story.  '" answered Ranesh. "My story could be a biography of this person Tod Bigg-Fellar" suggested Tom. "Perhaps it is also a birdsong, for I have heard that the bird that Tenna met was a timid being." Ranesh replied as he pulled out the volume 1 which contained the Tenna Birdsong tales & begun casually flicking through the pages. "I knew it" he said as he grinned & began reading the page.

**Tod Bigg-Fellar**

**The territory of the opal was said by their cousins (the other dragon tribes) to contain many strange beings. Tod Bigg-Fellar was no exception, although his parents were noble fair-faced cooks. He looked nothing liked them his face was as red as the tomatoes that grew in the Ralad farms & his left eye could change colour to tell his mood. Tod's parents weren't surprised for it was a familiar site to see peculiar beings born in the wild forests & lush habitats of that area.**

**As he grew up Tod forged an unacceptable relationship with Hekken of the Wild Mere. The tribes at them time were fearsome enemies with each other & would fight viciously & killing their neighbour's people without remorse. As he grew up he secretly went out to play with Hekken & learn his skills in exchange for his. Tod often did this when he wasn't in the kitchen learning the confidential culinary skills known only by the people of Hira & the plains. Hekken was taught by his father the great fighting technique of the Mere. Tod also befriends Opal the dreamer & was never alerted by her strange precognitive dreams**

**For many years they did this-Hekken became a better chef & Tod became a greater warrior until Tod's parents Mungo & Anzuray found out. They claimed that Hekken savagery was corrupting their teachings passed on to their son. A fierce quarrel began between the two tribes & eventually Tod was forbidden to go outside of Hira likewise Hekken couldn't go beyond the borders of Rithmere. Tod & Hekken missed each other so soon one night they rebelled against their parents & ran away together to live in the mountains of the north. There they stayed hunting for their survival fighting fearsome monsters until they became an exploring wanderer traveling with no purpose in life.**

**They soon learnt that their disappearance sparked a feuding war that lasted 10 years since there disappearance at 15. Now 25 together they created the first map of Deltora & their journey was quite perilous & faced many dangers including confronting the other tribes. Tod & Hekken also were given a great gift the blood of the scarlet dragon. It was gave to them by a friendly dragon who told them their secret a dragon's blood gave them longevity & possibly immortality depending on a person's heart. Those who were evil & dranked it would immediately die painfully if they were humans & not creatures of evil. The only way to die for a dragon is in the hands of a foe in battle.**

**They were the first ever explorers & the first writers of the Annals. Hekken & Tod soon went their separate ways. Hekken remained working with dragons & Tod choosed a free wandering life traveling to many places. The dragon's blood they dranked kept them alive for many years to serve in the Battle of Deltora, witness the knighting of the 7 & see the creation of many swords. (The Key to reveal the secret is hidden within the honorable pile of riches)**

**Tenna Birdsong Tale**

"Honorable pile of riches this sounds peculiar. How can a traveling explorer consider jewels & gold honorable?" Barda said when he read this odd statement. "Perhaps he doesn't think it's honorable. He might be referring to the riches of Dread Mountain" Jasmine proposed. "Of course!" Gla-Thon said excitedly "he was referring to our talisman the symbol of honour & he must be saying it is in our piles of gold" "Honora find the parchment" Lief whispered the name of the dragon & requesting a favor.

The emerald dragon then flew into Del towering over the houses & tossing the paper carelessly into Lief's hand. "Here it is king. Next time don't interrupt me while I'm sleeping" Honora snarled angrily.

**Downfall of the Knights**

**By the time of King Elstred- Deltora was settled in by many migrants from beyond the Silver Sea & the Ocean of the South. It had the most prosperous year due to trading as well as numerous feasting from the many foods imported. It is widely speculated by some people that some migrants were foreign criminals that were secretly brought in whom secretly allied themselves with the Shadow Lord. One of the more mysterious foreigners Agra around this time became the 1st Chief Adviser for the royal family. **

**Some settled into this new life & became simple, care-free farmers or traders; others were warriors whose only purpose nowadays was to fight for glory. Agra suggested that the Mere should change the Rithmere games from a traditional fighting festival celebrating their ways to a competition for riches, glory & success. **

**The people of Rithmere agreed to this as they saw no harm to oblige to the needs of the people. The games became a great success but however I heard whispers of conspiracy. Many of the warriors who were former thieves, assassins, pirates & bandits were being recruited one by one to join the Shadow Lord for his plan in return for sorcery. I was worried so I warned the Knight of the Plains Aeternus, the Knight of the Mere Miguel & the Knight of Honour Turon. Aeternus, Miguel & Turon in turn warned the King. But after many investigations my report was dismissed & I was laughed at by the Mere as though I was a fool.**

**A few weeks after the competition, raids by the foreigners had begun & the 7 knights began battling them. However many of the dragons were quickly tired by the fights & many were killed in both their homes & the battlefield. The raids were spread out in many different places & all 7 knights & dragon tribes were preoccupied by this. **

**The numbers of dragons quickly diminish & the warriors who by now were obviously known to be serving the Shadow Lord grew & the organized attacks became more frequent. The knights preoccupied by this & were seen to be failing quickly lost the faith of the people. They had learnt to be over reliant on them & that became the downfall of the land & the knights.**

**The king also gained weight due to the food & by now hadn't seen the 7 for days. Foreigners trading in Del & Broome stopped due to the order of the king & disgust at the fact that the knights were killing their people. This was without doubt one-sided facts that were spread by an evil spy. Someone seems to have taken advantage of the situation including Elstred's obesity. I began hearing furious shouts that the king no longer wore the belt everyday & that Ballum tried to kill the king. Strangely enough the fighting had stopped at this time.**

**The knights immediately heard the news & flew on the leaders to the king demanding that he wear the belt everyday like he once did. But he had already decided to agree with Agra's strange suggestion. With no other choice they drew their swords & marched to where the secret area where the belt was kept, the glass case at the tope of the hill & seize it for the king. They were met by resistance from numerous guards whom they easily defeated without killing. **

**However just as they were about to retrieve the belt many palace guards came to the other's aids like a sea lapping on the sands & seized them. They were branded criminals by the Chief Adviser & were sentenced to death. The knights also received news of their dragons being hunted for killing livestock, children & destroying resources. They were also forced to watch their swords broken before their eyes into several shards. Then they were left in the cold dungeons for many days to grieve for what they lost & their family who were to pay for their false crime by burning at stake.**

**The day came & they were dragged in chains wearing ragged clothes, most were shocked by this appalling treatment of their noble protectors & the migrants threw rotten vegetables at them for what they did to their families. As they were being led through the street their families looked on in fear. I was disgusted that the king listen to the lies & did this to them his friends & allies in governing. I organized a attack with Hekken & the other explorers Columbus, Kook, Mi-Kayle, Bentex & Scholastica. **

**We attacked the party & freed the knights soon we were followed by many guards of the king. Snatching the families of the knight & the jeweled-adorned boxes that contained the shards we raced out of the city fighting through a large group of warriors & guards. To bid us time Turon fought against the guards bravely slashing here & there until he was finally stabbed in the back. He sacrificed his life to his friends & family. **

**We eventually escaped the city luckily I was me & the other explorers were wearing masks so our identities weren't revealed. Finding a nice campsite in the Forests of Silence there we made our plans. Knowing it was no longer safe to keep the shards with us & that the gems of the dragons had been taken from pommel. We made our plans & began scattering the pieces across Deltora leaving an important clue to find each one. This is the book I gave the widows & the 7 of us were entrusted to guard over their children or unborn child. We went our separate ways each guarding a secret that was the blinded picture that shows the locations. Each book was left with the widow who later left it in the care of another of their own who will be marked.**

**Tod Big-Fellar**

"Blinded picture that shows the location" Barda read as he was the believing it was absurd. "How can we find these books if we don't know who were marked by them?" Jasmine asked. Lief stared aghast at the parchment in despair, then 7 figures in the room Manus, Tira, Hellena, Tom, Marilen, Gla-Thon & Barda moved to the table & placed on it 7 black leather books at once. It was old, worn & tattered & on the back were faded gold words given by wandering explorers to the fair ladies of the knights. "We were told to guard this by our ancestors" they said at once.

Taking a ragged, ripped & folded sheet from each one Jasmine put them together over a map of Deltora. The small painting formed was the original 7 knights with 8 dragons of each tribe with their eyes missing. It revealed 56 points which were obviously the location of the shards. Jasmine immediately took a blunt pencil & formed a circle wherever there was a hole in the picture. "The locations of the shards have been revealed we musn't waste any time" Lief whispered silently but loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"I'm calling for the guards" Barda said as he stroded outside to find the 7 adolescent who were immediately punished by beating with staff & sent to bed. Barda's guards were tired & weary when he found them & were half-awake when he woke them. He sent a group of themto eachlocation & returned home each at different times. When they returned at different times with a shard Lief despite being sleepy began reforging the swords with fatigue. He would have fallen into the boiling water had not Jasmine gave him herbs that kept him awake.

When he was finished the swords gleamed like the morning sun & he thrust the sword into the ground & waited. Streams of light scarlet, golden, green, rainbow, white, violet & blue with a point of sparkling white. Endon, Jarred Jr, Anna, Josef & Linta, Thalion &Alarca startled by the light rushed to find the source where it led to the forge & found a red-eyed Jasmine & Lief.

"You must each pull a sword out of the stone for you have been chosen by the swords to find its gem" he said dazily. One by one each one went to grip the hilt tightly & try to pull the sword out of the stone. Although they were each very different people with the exception of the twins Jarred & Endon they all agreed that the task looked difficult. But surprisingly it was as light as a feather & they pulled it out with great ease. The swords had chosen them to be their bearers & the ones who will return the swords to its gems.

Lief then started creating a new weapon from them with the ropes that Marilen had weaved, hard wood from boolong & iron that he found. The weapons he made was to their liking & they would need it for their journey. Anna however reused an old leather strap for a horse & cut it into a belt she then smashed the iron into 20 shining new short daggers with a circle at the bottom for a pummel, a red cloth grip with an elaborate rain guard with metals protruding like a tree & a vine & flower pattern on the blade with a few curves. Jarred like Anna created his own weapon a brand new halberd with a strong handle made from a thin stick of a boolong tree & a imperial blade at the top with 2 spikes, a crescent like metal at the blunt side with a area to trap & manipulate weapons & a long curved blade. Endon followed his siblings example & made 100 sharp arrows, a leather quiver with a artistic golden design, a wave design bow & a long curved dagger for close combat.

Josef was given a dual-bladed axe with a spike & snake-lines on the blunt surface of each blade connected to a short wooden handle wrapped by leather with a chain connected to a sharp knife at the end. Linta was handed a rope dart with a needle-sharp blade connected to a several short lengths of rope weaved by Mariled & knotted to become puissant handle & joined together by a beautiful link made from small rings. Thalion was presented a brilliant scimitar with a handle of purple cloth reused from an old Toran cloak, its blade was a sharp as a dragon's claw & decorated with a picture of a dragon. Lief cage him a shield with a picture of a dragon bordered by the belt of Deltora, several arrows & a decent bow. Finally Alarca was given a long spear with a fine & sparkling blade.

When Lief did this he fell onto the ground & immediately Barda, Lindal & Jasmine rushed to his aid. They were relieved when they realize he had fallen into sleep due to his slumberous mood after staying awake so long. But for Linta, Josef, Jarred Jr, Endon, Thalion, Alarca & Anna they felt excited, fearful & confused. For in a short day & waking up they discovered they had been given the burden to carry the swords to the gems. Tomorrow was the beginning of a great adventure & all the clues they had to the location lied in a book.

Author's note: Will be doing the other personalities of the other original characters soon & what are Lindal & Barda's natural hair colour & eyes? Whose sword is who? What is their first destination? Also what do you think of my descriptions of these weapons?


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